The anti-ageing diet – lose the weight, and the wrinkles

Follow our anti-ageing eating plan and you’ll not only lose weight, you’ll also look and feel years younger, have more energy and stress less.

Follow our anti-ageing eating plan and you’ll not only lose weight, you’ll also look and feel years younger, have more energy and stress less. Diet guru Helen Foster reveals how it works.

If you want to 'eat yourself young'the first step you need to take is probably going to be a real surprise. Scientists have recently announced that just as good bacteria improves the health of our digestive tract and bowels, so they can also determine how you look too.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

'Healthy bacteria make up the main components of the skin's protective mantle,'reveals Cheda Mikic, naturopath and product development manager at Nude Skincare.

'If these levels become depleted, your skin is prone to irritation and inflammation, which increases the release of free radicals and the enzyme collagenase, which breaks down skin-plumping collagen.

'Both of these effects lead to long term ageing, but reduced bacteria levels will also make you look older right now, because it results in drier skin, which can make you look far older than your years.

Another startling recent discovery is that when the probiotic bacteria on the surface of your skin feed on the prebiotic bacteria they live alongside, water is produced, so boosting the skin's hydration.

This means that balancing bacteria levels has become the latest way to revitalise your skin. Skincare companies are encouraging this by adding probiotics to their products, but Cheda Mikic says that boosting levels with your diet is also essential.

The good news is that this will not only boost your skin's health and appearance but will also increase levels of good bacteria in the gut so improving your digestion, immunity, energy and stress levels, sleep habits – everything.

What you need to do

First, eat regular servings of probiotic foods, such as live yoghurt or Yakult. Second, and more importantly, you must eat high levels of prebiotic foods, which help the bacteria in your system to thrive.

Recent trials by the University of Reading showed that you can increase your bug levels by over 133 million in just five days by eating foods high in prebiotics, such as oats, bananas and onions.

But that's not all

Antioxidants neutralise skin-harming free radicals and they're not only effective when applied topically. According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women over 40 with the highest amounts of vitamin C in their diet were 11 per cent less likely to develop wrinkles than those with low levels.

All fruits and vegetables will provide antioxidants, but foods particularly high in vitamin C include peppers, kiwi fruit, strawberries and citrus fruit.

In recent Italian trials, high dietary doses of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin also made skin look firmer, increased hydration and plumping, and reduced UV damage in a matter of weeks.

Foods high in lutein and zeaxanthin include corn, all leafy green vegetables and eggs.

And finally...

It's vital to boost the levels of 'healthy' essential fatty acids in your diet. These are necessary for a healthy immune system and increased mental clarity.

The Clinical Nutrition trial, found that a healthy intake of a fat called linoleic acid (found in nuts and seeds) was as important as vitamin C in making skin look younger, as it helps boost hydration, 'so fine lines puff up and become less noticeable,'says Dr Mohan.

These foods also contain omega-3 oils, which 'fight inflammation in the skin which results in reduced redness,'says Dr Mohan. And while that might not seem as important as their potential effect on lines, researchers at the University of Vienna recently found that uneven complexions are a key sign that people associate with ageing: in fact, if you look red and blotchy people judge you to be about 12 years older than you actually are!

Calm down your colour and the years will drop away instantly. So for maximum anti-ageing benefits, you also need an anti-inflammatory diet consisting of high quality protein, such as fish, colourful fresh fruit and veg – and good fats from salmon, olive oil and nuts.

Combining all the tips that we've recommended might sound complicated, but it isn't really.

Simply eating two to three portions of pro/prebiotic foods, five portions of fruit and vegetables, and one to two portions of oily fish, nuts, seeds – or their oils – daily will do it.

And to make it even easier, we've put together a plan that works it all out for you!

NetDoctor, part of the Hearst UK wellbeing network
Netdoctor participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.